Wheel-guard for street-cars.



e. H. PUTNAMf WHEEL GUARD FOR STREET CARS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1912. 1,107, 1 1 2 Patented Aug. 11, 1914,

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THE NORRA PETERS CO, FH07v-LITH0" WASHINGTON. Djc,

Patented Aug. 11, 1914..

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G. H. PUTNAM. WHEEL GUARD FOR STREET CARS.

APPLICATION nun) NOV.16,1912.

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Irwentor Georg b3 0 lli 1 1 II]! Y! ////I m THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHDTO-L|THO.. wAslluvbroN. D. -J.

GEORGE H. PUTNAM, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

WHEEL-GUARD FOR STREET-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

Application filed November 16, 1912. Serial No. 731,889.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE H. PUTNAM, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVheel-Guards for Street-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wheel guards for street cars and the like, and has for its object the provision of a fender pivoted beneath the car in advance of the wheels and normally retained in raised position by a retaining means capable of being operated either from the car platform or by means of the rearward movement of a bufier mounted in advance of the fender.

The invention further consists in an automatic locking device for retaining the fender in lowered position when released from its raised position.

The invention further consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be fully understood by reference to the description of the drawings and to the claims hereinafter given.

Of the drawings: Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a wheel guard embodying the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 represents a plan of the same. Fig. 3 represents a central vertical section of the same. Fig. 4 represents a longitudinal section of the automatic locking device. Fig. 5 represents a transverse section of the same, the cutting plane being on line 5-5 on Fig. 4. Fig. 6 represents a transverse section of a portion of the fender and the lever for retaining it in inoperative position, and Figs. 7 and 8 represent details of the locking device to be hereinafterreferred to.

Similar characters designate like parts throughout the several figures. of the drawings.

In the drawings, 10 is a guard rail forming a part of the truck in advance of the wheels of a street car. To the front face of this guard rail 10 are secured the brackets 11 having bearings therein through which extends the pivot member 12 of a fender, this fender having the forward extensions or side arms 13 and the upward extensions or side arms 14 radiating from said pivot member 12. The forward extensions or side arms 13 are connected at their outer ends by means of the tubular member 15 and in a members 15 and 12 in any suitable manner, v

as for instance, by means of rivets. These yielding members also extend from the pivot member 12 upwardly to a point above and in advance of the rod 16, then forming a reverse curve with its extreme end encircling said rod 16 in such a manner as to permit the oscillation of said rod therein. In advance of the forward extensions or side arms 13 is a buffer 19 having the ends thereof curved as at 20'. Secured to the buffer. 19 are a plurality of rods 21 extending through and slidable in bearings 22 in the connecting member 15,the opposite ends of said rods 21 also extending through and being slidable in bearings in the pivot member 12. The rear ends of the rods 21 have threaded thereto nuts 23 limitingthe forward movement of said rods 21. Interposed between the buffer 19 and the connecting member 15 and surrounding each of the rods 21 is a spring 24 adapted to retain the buffer 19 in an advanced position relative to the forward extensions or side arms 13. It is obvious, however, that when the buffer 19 meets with an obstruction, the springs 24 are adapted to yield and permit the buffer 19 and the rods 21 to move toward the rear. Normally the central rod 21 bears against the downwardly extending arm of a lever 25 pivoted at 26 to the guard rail 10, this downwardly extending arm being provided with a. shoulder 27 adapted normally to engage-a stop lug 28 formed upon or secured'to the pivot member 12. When the shoulder 27 is in engagement with the stop lug 28, as indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the forward extensions or side arms 13 are retained in an elevated position above the track over which the car is passing. The downwardly extending arm of the lever 25 is provided with a spring 29 adapted to retain said arm in position to engage the stop lugs 28. When, however, in the movement of the car, the buffer 19 meets an obstruction and is moved toward the guard rail 10, it is obvious that the center rod 21 will move the arm 25 to the rear against the tension of the spring 29 and disengage the shoulder 27 from the stop lug 28, thereby permitting the forward extensions 13 of their own weight to drop into lowered position in close contact with the ground or the tracks over which the car is passing. The downward movement of these forward extensions are limited by the rod 16 coming in contact with the arms 30 secured to the guard rail 10. The ends of this rod 16 are positioned in the bearings 31 secured to the upper ends of the upward extensions or side members 14, said rod being prevented from end movement by means of the collars 32 secured thereto and bearing against the outer ends of these bearings 31. Each bearing 31 is provided with a slot 32 into which extends a projection 33 fro-m the oscillating rod 16, as clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. This proj ection 33 in its oscillation contacts with the shoulder 35L atone end of the slot to limit 1 member 35. Surrounding each bearing 31 is coiled a spring 36 one end of which engages the locking member 35 to move it in the direction of the arrow on Fig. 5 of the drawings whenever they forward extensions 13 have been moved into lowered position, said locking member, when it is moved, bearing against the front face of the guard rail 10 to retain said forward extensions of the fender in such lowered position. The fender will be retained in this position until the motorman, .by means of a wrench fitted to the squared end. 37, returns the locking member 35 to the position indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings and then lifts the fender so that the lug 28 will again be engaged by the shoulder 37. The lever 25 hasa forward extension 38v the upper face of which is engaged by a rod 39 movalole vertically in a bearing 40, secured to the under side of the platform 41 of the car. The upper end of this rod 39 ispivotally connected with a lever mechanism 42 adapted to be operated by means of the spring pressed member 43 under the control of the motorman on the platform of the car.- .It is obvious that when the member 43 is depressed, the rod 39 will act upon the forward extension 38 of the lever 25 to disengage the shoulder27 from the stop lug 28 and thereby permit the fender to drop into lowered position, the locking member 35 immediately operating to retain said fender in such lowered position. By means of this construction the fender may be moved into lowered position when it meets an obstruction in the path of the car, or it may be brought into this position by the motorman when he sees any obstruction in the path of the car. The extension 38 of the lever 35 is of considerable breadth so that when the car body moves sidewise relative to the guard rail 10, the vertically moving rod 39 remains in contact therewith under all conditions. This makes a very effective wheel guard, simple in construction, and adapted to be operated by the motorman, or automatically operated when the buffer 19 comes into contact with any obstruction in the path of the car.

It is believed that the operation and many advantages of the invention will be fully understood from the foregoing description.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a wheel guard for cars, the combination of a fender pivoted beneath the car in a dvance of the wheels and consisting of an upward frame and a forward frame extending from a pivot member; a stop lug on said pivot member; a bell crank lever, one arm of which normally engages said stop lug and retains said forward frame in raised position; and means operable from the car platform for actuating the other arm of said lever and thereby releasing said fender and permitting it to move into its lowered position.

2. In a wheel guard for cars, the combination of a fender pivoted beneath the car in advance of the wheels and consisting of an upward frame and a forward frame extending from a pivot member; a stop lug on said pivot member; a bell crank lever one arm of which normally engages said stop lug and retains said forward frame in raised position; means operable from the car platform for actuating the other arm of said lever and thereby releasing said fender and permitting it to move into its lowered position; and slidable means carried by said forward frame adapted, when meeting an obstruction, to disengage said lever from said lug.

3. In a wheel guard for cars, the combination of a fender pivoted beneath the ear in advance of the wheels and consisting of an upward frame and a forward frame extending from a pivotmember; a stop lug on said pivot member; a bell crank lever one arm of which normally engages said stop lug and retains said forward frame in raised position; means operable from the car platform for actuating the other arm of said lever and thereby releasing said fender and permitting it to move into its lowered position; and means for automatically locking said fender in lowered position when released.

4. In a wheel guard for cars, the combination of a fender pivoted beneath the car in advance of the wheels and consisting of an upward frame and a forward frame extending from a pivot member; a stop lug on said pivot member; a bell crank lever one arm of which normally engages said stop lug and retains said forward frame in raised position; means operable from the car platform for actuating the other arm of said lever and thereby releasing said fender and permitting it to move into its lowered position; slidable means carried by said forward frame and adapted when struck by an object to disengage said lever from said lug; and means for automatically locking said fender in lowered position when released.

5. In a wheel guard for cars, the combination of a fender pivoted beneath the car in advance of the wheels and consisting of an upward frame and a forward frame extending from a pivot member; a stop lug on said pivot member; a spring pressed lever normally engaging said lug and retaining said forward frame in raised position; a spring pressed buffer in front of said forward frame; and means actuated by the rearward movement thereof for releasing said lever from engagement with said lug.

6. In a wheel guard for cars, the combination of a fender pivoted beneath the car in advance of the wheels and consisting of an upward frame and a forward frame extending from a pivot member; a stop lug on said pivot member; a spring pressed lever normally engaging said lug and retaining said forward frame in raised position; a spring pressed bufier in front of said forward frame means actuated by the rearward movement thereof for releasing said lever from engagement with said lug; and means for automatically locking said fender in lowered position when released.

7. In a wheel guard for cars, the combination of a fender pivoted beneath the car in advance of the wheels and consisting of an upward frame and a forward frame extending from a pivot member; a stop lug on said pivot member; a spring pressed lever normally engaging said lug and retaining said forward frame in raised position; a. spring pressed buffer in front of said forward frame; means actuated by the rearward movement thereof for releasing said lever from engagement with said lug; and means coacting with said upward frame for limiting the movement of said fender about its pivot.

Signed by me at 4 Post Office Sq., Boston, Mass, this th day of October, 1912.

GEORGE H. PUTNAM.

Witnesses:

WALTER E. LOMBARD, NATHAN C. LOMBARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

